US1498680A - Massage apparatus - Google Patents

Description

June 24 1924.

l.. M. CLEMENT ET AL MASSAGE APPARATUS Filed Sept. 26 1919 2 Shouts-Sheet 1 L. M. CLEMENT ET AL June 24 1924.

MAS SAGE APPARATUS Filed Sept. 26,1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 )ami Elia/a Patented dune Z4, 1924i,

LOB/AINE M. CLEMENT .AND EDWARD E,

1rios.

CLEMENT, OF @SEAN CITY, NEW JERSEY.

MASSAGE APPARATUS.

Application filed September 26, 1919.

To all 207mm t may concern.'

Be it known that we, Lonnmu M, @naar ENT and EDWARD E. CLEMENT, citizens ot the United States, residing at @eeen City, in the county of Cape May and State ot New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/lassage Apparatus, oi which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for mechanical massage, and has tor its object the provision of means to communicate fine vibrations to the hands of an operator. ille produce these vibrations by mea-ns oi an electrically actuated vibrator to which energy is supplied through suitable conductors from a battery or other source of current. To the vibrator as such we lay no claim, as that is the invention of Edward E, Clement, one ot the parties herein named as joint inf ventors. Our present invention has to do with the art of massaging with both hands simultaneously, after the fashion oic so called Swedish movements and the like. Such massage is difficult to attain without long practice and is always accompanied by certain diliculties and drawbacks to the operator. By our invention the tine vibiatorj; movements in the hands are produced mechanically, are regulable in intensity and amplitude, and can be applied as required to any part of the `body ot the subject without shock and without any danger or fatigue to the operator.

Very briefly stated, our invention comprises a pair or metallic plates held rmly to the backs of the hands of the operator by non-resilient harness, the Jfront edges of the plates resting upon and just to the rear of the knuckles of the hands, each plate carrying a vibrator comprising a fixed armature and a magnet structure mounted on a spring to vibrate in the direction of the length of the fingers. The magnet structure carries a contact which cooperates with a iXed contact carried on but insulated 'from the frame of the vibrator, so that the circuit of the magnet is automatically made and broken as it vibrates. A pair ot cords carrying conductors leads from the vibrators, being united behind the back of the operator and the common cord then being led to ay battery or other suitable source of current. By regulating the intensity of the current Serial No. 326,565.

the amplitude and intensity of the vibrations may be regulated,

Qur invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the harness for the left hand, attached thereto, the hand being turned palm up.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, the hand being turned palm down.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same harness, on a smalle-r scale, spread out flat.

Fig. e is a longitudinal section through one stra-p and its buckle or slide, showing clearly the means for self attachment and detachment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing two vibrators attached to the operators two hands, the supply cord and a source of current, the hands being in operating position.

Referring lirst to Figures l to t inclusive,

the harness is generally designated by the letter H. It consists ot two bands 7i and 717, of material which will not yield and so lose the energy imparted to it without communieating it to the bony structure of the operators hand. We have found a suitable material for this purpose to be linen webbing, which is not resilient and faithful-A ly transmits the energy waves of the vibrator to the operators hand. These waves are too tine to be considered tangible move-- ments of the webbing, which makes it doubly desirable to have as little resilientV quality as possible. Cotton webbing, and even silk webbing, may be employed when linen is not available, but in each of these cases there is loss of energy, which makes it necessary to treat a subject at greater length to obtain the same result.

The two bands 7L and 7L are united, as best shown in Figure 3, by aback band h2 and a palm band h3, which extend clear across the width of the respective bands 7iy and h at both ends, and are stitched very solidly thereto. In the drawing these stitohings are shown as extending around the margins of the overlaps and diagonally across the same, but the form of stitching may of course be varied at will.

At the upper end of each band h and It', that is to say the end passing over the upper edge of the hand as shown in Figure l, we provide a slide buckle ywhich we have spelfi cially designed to meet the necessity for tightI holding Without slipping While. per mitting quick and easy adjustment and removal of the harness. Referring to Figure 4, it Will be observed that the slide hf* is generally oblong with a ring at one side and a slotted projection carrying a tab at the other. The ring is marked it, and is for adjusting the band on the hand. The ring is caught on a hook or nail in a Wall or cabinet and the end IL10 pulled With the free hand, causing the band to slide through the two parallel'slots Within the oblono' body, over the doubled end secured thereto. ille have found that When the slots are proportioned so that there is no space beyond that necessary for the accommodation of the tivo thicknesses of webbing, the friction of one on the other absolutely prevents slipping. To loosen the band, after using the vibrator, a simple pull on the tab 72,42 secured in the slotted projection 7L moves the slide on the band until the hand is released. ln order to hold the long ends IL10 and prevent them from obstructing the movements of the operators hand, We provide flat loops if on both bands, and when the bands are 'tightly adjusted the ends 72,10 are passed through these loops h5, as clearly shown in Figure S2.

Referring noiv to Fig. 5, we have therein shown tivo metallic plates A and A to which the vibrators are attached (as also illustrated in Fig. 2) secured to the respecY tive harnesses H and H' so that when on the operators hands the front edges of the plates will rest upon and just to the rear of the knuckles of the hands. By this adjustment the operator is enabled, by merely opening and closing his hand to make the bony portion thereof press more or less tightly against the edge of the plate, and thereby produce the result of greater or less strength in the vibrations as desired. We havenot found it necessary to make the vi brat-ors rights and lefts but the harnesses reeeeo are necessarily rights and lefts as the rings 7b4 must always come up when the hand is in the position of Figure l.

The electrical connections and the suoplg,Y of current as such, form no part of the present invention, but will be claimed in combination With other features and elements described and forming parts of our invention. Te believe are the first to present an apparatus of this kind Which enables Srvedisn movements to be given With both hands, f Y" they must be to be effective; also the devise a comple-te apparatus of the character described. op-

`We shallclaim our method or eration, therefore, as Well as the apparatus described, both generically and specifically. Figuren showsa simple regulating means in the switch S, the rheostat rh, and the entre. cells of battery B', which when cut in Will supplement the regular battery B, connected across the terminals c2 c3 of the cord. C which branches at c c to the respective vin brators, ivhcse terminals are marked to correspond. c2 c3.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is:

A harness for mounting an electric vibrator on the hand comprising tivo parallel bands. one litting closely around the hand behind and against the knuckles and the other around the Wrist behind and against the base of the thumb, with longitudinal bands lirniljv connecting said parallel bands on the back and palm respectively. a rectangular metallic plate securely attached to said back band and knuckle band so that its upper edge Will rest immediately behind and against the knuckles, the said back band and knuckle band serving to hold the vibrator.

ln testimonyv whereof We affix our signatures.

' LORAINE M. CLEMENT. 4EDV/ARD E. CLEMEHT.

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